The U.S. Is Prepared for an Indefinite Blockade of Iran — Hegset
The U.S. has sufficient military resources to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagseth stated that American ships can continuously rotate in the region, so Washington is capable of maintaining pressure on Tehran for as long as necessary.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth stated that the U.S. Navy has sufficient capabilities to maintain a long-term naval blockade of Iran. According to Hagseth, U.S. warships can be rotated on a regular basis. Some ships will remain in the region, while others will return to relieve them. This approach allows Washington to sustain the operation over a long period of time.
“The U.S. Navy can maintain such a blockade indefinitely, as we will rotate ships, just as we have done in the past, and will continue to do so,” Hagseth said. In this way, the Pentagon is making it clear that a shortage of ships or the need for maintenance should not be a reason to end the blockade.
Washington Wants to Put Pressure on Iran
Hegset’s statement also shows that the U.S. is prepared to continue economic and military pressure on Iran for as long as it deems necessary. According to Reuters, the U.S. views the blockade as one way to increase pressure on Tehran and push it toward negotiations to end the conflict.
The negotiations, which began in February, have not yet yielded results. Therefore, judging by the Pentagon chief’s statement, Washington does not plan to quickly scale back its military presence in the region.
The U.S. has strengthened its military presence
Since the start of the war, Washington has deployed more than 20 warships to the Middle East. U.S. forces have also imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ships and ports. At the same time, the U.S. states that it intends to ensure freedom of navigation for vessels transiting through the region.
To support the operation, the U.S. military may rotate its ships. In other words, ships that have been in the area of operations for a certain period of time will be replaced by others. According to Hegset, it is precisely this approach that allows the U.S. Navy to maintain the blockade without a clearly defined end date. Thus, the Pentagon is signaling that the U.S. is prepared to maintain military and economic pressure on Iran until Washington sees results from the negotiations. His remarks were quoted by Reuters.
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